Breastfeeding pillow

ABSTRACT

A breastfeeding pillow allows easier and more comfortable breastfeeding. The breastfeeding pillow includes a back portion, a side portion, and a laying portion. The back portion is wider at the bottom than at the top. The side portion is of a trapezoidal shape and is thicker toward the back. The laying portion has a raised sub-portion and a flat sub-portion, and has a concave side to fit the woman&#39;s waist. The side portion and the laying portion are connected to the back portion in a temporary fashion using elastic straps.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Aspects of the present invention relate to an adjustable breastfeeding pillow, designed to allow a woman to breastfeed an infant in a comfortable position, the pillow having a side portion and a laying portion, said two portions being connected to a back portion using elastic straps.

2. Description of the Related Art

Breastfeeding pillows lift infants closer to a woman's breast, and put a woman in a more ergonomic position, so that she may breastfeed more comfortably and with less muscle strain.

Currently, most breastfeeding pillows available on the market are U-shaped, a design which provides no support for the woman's back. Of the breastfeeding pillows that do provide back support, said support is incomplete, coming only partially up the back.

Furthermore, most breastfeeding pillows available on the market are of a fixed size. As both women and infants come in a wide variety of sizes, fixed-size breastfeeding pillows do not always fit the woman properly, and do not always lift the infant to a position where the infant's mouth comes close enough to the breast. This makes these pillows uncomfortable or even useless in assisting breastfeeding for some women and infants.

A breastfeeding pillow which provides complete back support, and which is flexible enough to accommodate women and infants of different sizes, is therefore desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

While not limited thereto, an embodiment of the invention is directed to a breastfeeding pillow comprising a laying portion, which supports an infant and one or both forearms of a woman breastfeeding the infant; and a back portion, which supports a back and a neck of the woman.

According to an aspect of the invention, the breastfeeding pillow may further comprise a first strap which connects the side portion to the back portion.

According to an aspect of the invention, the first strap may be elastic.

According to an aspect of the invention, the first strap may attach to the side portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener.

According to an aspect of the invention, the breastfeeding pillow may further comprise a side portion, which supports an elbow of the woman.

According to an aspect of the invention, the breastfeeding pillow may further comprise a first strap which connects the side portion to the back portion; and a second strap which connects the laying portion to the back portion.

According to an aspect of the invention, the first strap and the second strap may be elastic.

According to an aspect of the invention, the first strap may attach to the side portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener, and the second strap may attach to the laying portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener.

According to an aspect of the invention, the back portion may be of a rectangular shape, and may be wider across the bottom than across the top.

According to an aspect of the invention, a filler material within the back portion may comprise an elastic material.

According to an aspect of the invention, the filler material within the back portion may comprise medium density foam.

According to an aspect of the invention, the side portion may be of a curved trapezoidal shape, and may be higher and wider across the back than across the front.

According to an aspect of the invention, a filler material within the side portion may comprise low density foam pads.

While not limited thereto, another embodiment of the invention is directed to a breastfeeding pillow comprising a laying portion, which supports an infant and one or both forearms of a woman breastfeeding the infant, the laying portion comprising a raised sub-portion and a flat sub-portion.

According to an aspect of the invention, a side of the laying portion may be concave.

According to an aspect of the invention, a filler material within the laying portion may comprise foam flakes.

Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a breastfeeding pillow, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a back portion of the breastfeeding pillow, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a side portion of the breastfeeding pillow, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a laying portion of the breastfeeding pillow, according to an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 5 is an illustrated view of the breastfeeding pillow in use, according to an aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.

Although specific terms may be employed and specific embodiments may be described herein, they are used as examples only and not for purposes of limitation. Additionally, unnecessary details and additional embodiments of the present invention that may be appreciated by those skilled in the art will not be described, or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

According to an aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 1, a breastfeeding pillow comprises aback portion 20, a side portion 30, and a laying portion 40. The side portion 30 and the laying portion 40 are individually connected to the back portion 20 using straps 11 and 12, respectively.

In at least one embodiment, straps 11 and 12 may be elastic in nature and may be stretched from sixty (60) centimeters to ninety-five (95) centimeters; the elasticity allows accommodation of women of different sizes. Specific elastic materials, which these straps may comprise, are well known to those of skill in the art and will not be elaborated on further. Straps 11 and 12 may also be of eight (8) centimeters in width. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that straps 11 and 12 need not be elastic, and that the measurements for straps 11 and 12 may be adjusted without departing from the scope of the invention.

The methods of attaching straps 11 and 12 to back portion 20, side portion 30, and laying portion 40 are numerous and exist in the art, and may include, but are not limited to, both temporary methods such as hook-and-loop fasteners (“Velcro”), zippers, buttons and button holes, buckles, and clips; and permanent methods such as stitching, glue, screws, and bolts, or any combination of the above. In at least some embodiments, straps 11 and 12 may be interchangeable with each other. In at least some embodiments, only one strap 11 is used, and directly connects side portion 30 to laying portion 40 without the back portion 20 in between.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that straps 11 and 12 may be omitted, and back portion 20, side portion 30, and laying portion 40 need not be physically connected at all, without departing from the scope of the invention.

The material covering the back portion 20, side portion 30, and laying portion 40 may comprise any of numerous materials well known to those of skill in the art, and will not be elaborated on further.

According to an aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 2, the back portion 20 supports the woman's whole back and neck when she is breastfeeding. The back portion 20 is of a rectangular shape, and is wider across the bottom 22 than across the top 21. The edges of the back portion 20 may be rounded to varying degrees. In at least one embodiment, the back portion 20 has a height of fifty (50) centimeters, a greater width of eleven (11) centimeters at the bottom side 22, and a lesser width of three (3) centimeters at the top side 21. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these measurements and proportions may be adjusted without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 2, two attachment points 23 and 24 are affixed to the lower half of the sides of the back portion 20, where straps 11 and 12 may be attached to connect the back portion 20 to the side portion 30 and laying portion 40, respectively. The attachment points 23 and 24 may be hook and loop fasteners or other comparable fasteners, as expressed previously in the specification.

In at least one embodiment, the back portion 20 is filled with elastic material that compresses when an external force is applied and restores to its original shape when said external force is removed. Said material is not limited and may be appreciated by those skilled in the art, but can be medium density foam, among other materials.

According to an aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 3, the side portion 30 supports the woman's elbow when she is breastfeeding. The side portion 30 is of a curved trapezoidal shape, and is higher and wider across the back 32 than across the front 31. In some embodiments, the side portion 30 may also be taller than it is wide. The edges of the side portion 30 may be rounded to varying degrees. In at least one embodiment, the side portion 30 has a length of forty-five (45) centimeters, a lesser height of twelve point five (12.5) centimeters and a lesser width of five (5) centimeters on the front side 31, and a greater height of twenty-four (24) centimeters and a greater width of twelve point five (12.5) centimeters on the back side 32. It will be appreciated that all terms expressing vertical and horizontal direction or size, as applied to the side portion 30, are to distinguish the perpendicular sides of the side portion 30 without declaring anything about the proper position of the side portion 30; that is to say, the side portion 30 may in some embodiments be rotated without loss of utility such that, e.g., “tall” becomes “wide” and vice versa. It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these measurements and proportions may be adjusted without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 3, an attachment point 33 is affixed to the back 32 of the side portion 30, where a strap 11 or 12 may be attached to connect the side portion 30 to the back portion 20. The attachment point 33 may be a hook and loop fastener or other comparable fastener, as expressed previously in the specification.

The material filling the side portion 30 is not limited and may be appreciated by those skilled in the art, but can be low density foam pads, among other materials.

According to an aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 4, a laying portion 40 supports the woman's forearms and the infant. The laying portion 40 has a raised sub-portion 41 toward the front 44, and a flat sub-portion 42 toward the back 45. The side 43 of the laying portion 40 facing the woman's waist is concave in shape. The edges of the laying portion 40 may be rounded to varying degrees. In at least one embodiment, the laying portion has a length of sixty-six (66) centimeters, a width of twenty-six (26) centimeters on the front and back 44 and 45, a width of eighteen (18) centimeters in the middle, a height of fourteen (14) centimeters at the highest point of the raised sub-portion 41, and a height of eight point five (8.5) centimeters for the flat sub-portion 42. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these measurements and proportions may be adjusted without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 4, an attachment point 46 is affixed to the back 45 of the laying portion 40, where a strap 11 or 12 may be attached to connect the laying portion 40 to the back portion 20. The attachment point 46 may be a hook and loop fastener or other comparable fastener, as expressed previously in the specification. In other embodiments not shown, the fastener point 46 may instead be affixed to the front 44; alternatively, one fastener point each may be affixed to both front and back 44 and 45, allowing the laying portion 40 to be positioned facing either direction. In a subset of such embodiments, the side 43 of the laying portion 40 which is concave may be the opposite side, or both sides may be concave; this may reflect which side of the laying portion 40 may face the woman's waist in the assembled version, an aspect of which is depicted in FIG. 1.

In at least one embodiment, the laying portion 40 is filled with a material that allows the laying portion 40 to flex and bend around solid objects and hold its shape until flexed back. Said material is not limited and may be appreciated by those skilled in the art, but can be foam flakes, among other materials.

In the aspect of the invention depicted in FIG. 5, a woman breastfeeding an infant demonstrates use of the breastfeeding pillow. The back portion 20 supports the woman's whole back and neck 51 when she is breastfeeding, with the wider end fitting the small of her back (not visible). The side portion 30 supports the woman's elbow 52. Due to the trapezoidal shape of the side portion 30, the woman can sit upright when breastfeeding, with one elbow 52 supported at whatever point on the slope of the side portion 30 matches the natural height of the elbow 52; the woman may also rotate the side portion 30 to rest her elbow on what was previously the side of the side portion 30, allowing support of an even greater variety of elbow heights. The laying portion 40 supports the woman's forearms 53 and 54 and the infant. The raised sub-portion 41 lifts the infant's head 55 to meet the woman's breast 56. The concave shape of the side 43 of the laying portion 40, and the general flexibility of the laying portion 40, allows for a comfortable fit around the woman's waist (not visible). The laying portion 40 may be flipped over and may switch sides with the side portion 30, to allow the infant to be moved to the other breast while keeping the concave side 43 facing the woman's waist. All three portions 20, 30, 40 compress under pressure to varying degrees, to provide a balance of support and comfort.

The laying portion 40 may also be used to lay the infant face-down for rest or for burping purposes. The back portion 20 may also be used for back support in non-breastfeeding situations.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any one of the back portion 20, side portion 30, and laying portion 40 may stand alone, apart from the other portions, as useful to the primary goal of the invention, which is to provide a more comfortable breastfeeding experience for the woman and/or the infant.

Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A breastfeeding pillow comprising: a laying portion, which supports an infant and one or both forearms of a woman breastfeeding the infant; and a back portion, which supports a back and a neck of the woman.
 2. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 1, further comprising a first strap which connects the side portion to the back portion.
 3. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 2, wherein the first strap is elastic.
 4. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 3, wherein the first strap attaches to the side portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener.
 5. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 1, further comprising a side portion, which supports an elbow of the woman.
 6. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 5, further comprising: a first strap which connects the side portion to the back portion; and a second strap which connects the laying portion to the back portion.
 7. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 5, wherein the first strap and the second strap are elastic.
 8. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 6, wherein the first strap attaches to the side portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener, and the second strap attaches to the laying portion and the back portion using a hook-and-loop fastener.
 9. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 1, wherein the back portion is of a rectangular shape, and is wider across the bottom than across the top.
 10. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 1, wherein a filler material within the back portion comprises an elastic material.
 11. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 10, wherein the elastic material within the back portion comprises medium density foam.
 12. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 5, wherein the side portion is of a curved trapezoidal shape, and is higher and wider across the back than across the front.
 13. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 5, wherein a filler material within the side portion comprises low density foam pads.
 14. A breastfeeding pillow comprising a laying portion, which supports an infant and one or both forearms of a woman breastfeeding the infant, the laying portion comprising a raised sub-portion and a flat sub-portion.
 15. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 14, wherein a side of the laying portion is concave.
 16. The breastfeeding pillow of claim 14, wherein a filler material within the laying portion comprises foam flakes. 